Diakonos Oncology

What Diakonos Oncology does

Diakonos Oncology is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing DOC1021, a proprietary double-loaded autologous dendritic cell vaccine (DCV) targeting difficult-to-treat solid tumors, with lead indications in glioblastoma (GBM), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and refractory melanoma. Founded in 2022 and headquartered at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, the company is built on a 2006 discovery by Dr. Will Decker at Baylor College of Medicine showing that dendritic cells compare antigens presented on MHC Class I and Class II to mobilize CD8+ CD161+ T cells against what the immune system perceives as virally infected cells. The DOC1021 manufacturing process loads patient-derived dendritic cells with tumor mRNA (via electroporation for MHC Class I presentation) and tumor lysate (for MHC Class II presentation) without genetic modification, and the therapy is administered as three ultrasound-guided injections to deep cervical lymph nodes followed by systemic type I interferon. Diakonos has received three FDA Fast Track designations (GBM in 2023, pancreatic cancer in 2024, and melanoma in 2026) and an FDA Orphan Drug designation for malignant glioma (2024). Phase 1 data showed 90% 12-month overall survival and 18.5-month median survival in newly diagnosed GBM (predominantly MGMT-unmethylated), with no dose-limiting toxicities across indications, and a Phase 2 randomized DOC-GBM2 trial is now enrolling at multiple US cancer centers.

The company is pre-revenue and is funded entirely through equity and non-dilutive capital: an oversubscribed $11.4 million seed round led by Restem Group (August 2024), a $20 million SAFE private placement (May 2025) with Baylor College of Medicine, Brain Tumor Investment Fund, and Buttonwood Titan QC Fund, and a $7 million+ CPRIT grant (December 2025) for the refractory melanoma program. Distribution is presently through clinical trial sites at leading US cancer centers including Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson, UTHealth Houston, Atlantic Health (New Jersey), City of Hope, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Massachusetts General Hospital, with a Natera collaboration using Signatera ctDNA monitoring in the melanoma program. Future commercialization is expected to target oncologists and specialty oncology treatment centers, with revenue expected from product sales of a personalized cell therapy. The senior team is built around cell therapy execution and capital markets experience, including a CMO (Laura Aguilar) who co-founded Advantagene (now Candel Therapeutics), a CFO (Anthony Baldor) from 4D Molecular Therapeutics and Jefferies, a CRO (Ian Bellayr) from FDA CBER, and a board that includes Paul Lammers, formerly CEO of Mirna Therapeutics (NASDAQ IPO) and Triumvira Immunologics.

Name

Diakonos Oncology

Legal name

Diakonos Oncology Corp.

Website

https://diakonosoncology.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Diakonos Oncology is a clinical-stage Houston-based biotechnology company developing DOC1021, a proprietary double-loaded autologous dendritic cell vaccine for glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma. It holds three FDA Fast Track and one Orphan Drug designation and is pre-revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cell Therapy / Cancer Immunotherapy

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Dendritic Cell & Other APC-based Therapies (HLAAABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Therapeutic Vaccines (cancer, chronic infection immunotherapy) (HLAAAEAB)

Keywords

• Dendritic cell vaccines
• Cancer immunotherapy
• Autologous cell therapy
• Glioblastoma treatment
• Oncology clinical development

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pipeline Revenue: Pre-revenue clinical stage company. Future revenue anticipated from commercialization of DOC1021 dendritic cell therapy for glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and potentially other solid tumor indications. Revenue model will likely involve pharmaceutical/biotech product sales through oncology specialty channels.
2. Grant Funding: Non-dilutive funding from government and institutional sources including over $7 million from Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) for Phase 1/2 melanoma trial. This supports clinical development without equity dilution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Diakonos Oncology develops DOC1021 (dubodencel), a personalized autologous dendritic cell vaccine that uses a proprietary double-loading technique to load patient-derived dendritic cells with both tumor mRNA (for MHC Class I) and tumor lysate (for MHC Class II). The therapy is being advanced through clinical trials for difficult-to-treat solid tumors including glioblastoma, pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and refractory melanoma, with FDA Fast Track designations for all three indications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DOC1021 (Dubodencel) - Glioblastoma Program Autologous dendritic cell vaccine using proprietary double-loading technique for newly diagnosed and refractory glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Currently in multi-site Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT06805305) in combination with standard of care. FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations received. Phase 1 results showed 90-93% 12-month overall survival in newly diagnosed GBM patients.
• DOC1021 (Dubodencel) - Pancreatic Cancer Program Autologous dendritic cell vaccine administered as adjuvant therapy following completion of standard chemotherapy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients. Phase 1 trial at Baylor College of Medicine (NCT04157127) showed five of seven patients alive at 20-56 months post-surgery. FDA Fast Track designation received.
• DOC-RM (DOC1021 Refractory Melanoma Study) Phase 1/2 study evaluating DOC1021 in patients with unresectable or metastatic cutaneous melanoma who have progressed after anti-PD-1 therapy. Includes collaboration with Natera for Signatera ctDNA molecular response monitoring. FDA Fast Track designation received May 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% 12-month overall survival in newly diagnosed GBM patients vs ~60% historical standard of care
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Natera Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 29 May 2026Collaboration to assess molecular response in patients with refractory melanoma using Natera's Signatera test within Diakonos' DOC-RM Phase I/II trial. Natera conducts circulating tumor DNA analyses at multiple timepoints to evaluate minimal residual disease status. May provide earlier insight into molecular response compared to radiographic assessment in immunotherapy-treated patients.
• Baylor College of MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2025Baylor College of Medicine is both a founding research partner and investor. The technology originated from research at Baylor, and BCM provides in-kind services for pre-clinical and clinical development programs. Also participated in $20M financing round.
• Cellipont BioservicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing partner for DOC1021 production. Company announced manufacturing optimization partnership with Cellipont Bioservices for Phase 2 trial preparation.
• Daniel D. Von Hoff, M.D.coreOthersDistinguished Professor at Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and City of Hope, internationally recognized physician and scientist whose research contributed to many anticancer agents. Named to Scientific Advisory Board in July 2024 to support pancreatic cancer program development.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Northwest Biotherapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing DCVax, an autologous dendritic cell vaccine for glioblastoma and other solid tumors. Directly comparable to Diakonos as both companies pursue personalized dendritic cell immunotherapy in GBM with similar patient-specific manufacturing models.
• Candel Therapeutics: Clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing viral immunotherapies and cancer vaccines for solid tumors. Diakonos CMO Laura Aguilar co-founded the predecessor Advantagene, providing deep operational and strategic overlap with Diakonos's GBM and pancreatic programs.
• Dendreon (Sanpower Group): Pioneer in autologous cellular immunotherapy with Provenge, the first FDA-approved dendritic cell therapy for prostate cancer. Provides the most relevant commercial reference point for dendritic cell therapy manufacturing, reimbursement, and market adoption dynamics facing Diakonos.

Broad incumbents

• Iovance Biotherapeutics: Leader in tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy for solid tumors with FDA-approved lifileucel. Comparable as a personalized autologous cell therapy targeting metastatic melanoma, directly overlapping with DOC1021's melanoma indication.
• Adaptimmune Therapeutics: Commercial-stage cell therapy company developing engineered T-cell receptor therapies for solid tumors, including approved Tecelra. Comparable as a personalized cell therapy targeting sarcoma and other solid tumors with comparable manufacturing complexity.

Emerging players

• Triumvira Immunologics: Clinical-stage cell therapy company developing TAC-T cell therapy for solid tumors. Diakonos board member Paul Lammers previously served as President and CEO, creating direct personnel and strategic overlap with Diakonos's solid tumor immunotherapy approach.
• Mirna Therapeutics: Clinical-stage developer of microRNA-based oncology therapeutics. Diakonos board member Paul Lammers previously led Mirna through its NASDAQ IPO, providing direct governance and oncology drug development overlap with Diakonos.

Others

• Cellipont Bioservices: Cell therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) announced as Diakonos's manufacturing optimization partner for DOC1021. Relevant as a strategic supplier and infrastructure partner supporting Diakonos's Phase 2 trial preparation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DiakonosOnc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diakonos-oncology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Diakonos Oncology